Spending your free time gardening, restoring classic cars or
collecting antique jewelry can be a joy, right? It's the thing
that renews your passion, the thing that makes you feel that all is
right with the world. Wouldn't it be great to find a way to
make money doing what you love? Turning your treasured hobby into a
business will take hard work and a truckload of creativity, but the
rewards are endless. You'll be doing what you love--and getting
paid for it.

The benefits of starting a business based on your hobby are
many, according to Rachna D. Jain, founder of business coaching
firm Excel With Ease Coaching in Columbia, Maryland.
"Many times you'll have a lot of knowledge about [your
hobby] already," she says. "And the most successful
entrepreneurs are the ones who have a passion for the work they
do.

Turning passion into profit takes serious work, though. Just
because you love making pottery doesn't mean you know enough to
create a profitable business from it. Experts and entrepreneurs
stress the importance of researching any business idea before
jumping in. Denise O'Berry, president of business consulting
firm Small
Business Edge Corp. in Tampa, Florida, notes that research is
one of the most important first steps: "You need a full plan
of how you're going to address your objectives. It's all
that stuff everybody hates to do."

You may know everything about your hobby, but you only know it
from a hobbyist's point of view. Think like a business owner by
conducting a market analysis and a competitive analysis to see if
existing businesses are similar to your idea. Is there a similar
business in your area or nationally?

Next, find out if selling your hobby wares will sustain you.
Jain echoes that sentiment: "Once you have a market
identified, canvas Internet neighborhoods and invite people to meet
with you [for focus groups]." You may even consider contacting
a mentor who can point you in the right direction while you're
researching your business plan.

Mentors can also offer guidance about what kinds of businesses
are a natural fit for your hobby. To jog your brain for any
possible business ideas, Jain suggests listing 20 ways you can use
your knowledge, skills, talents or hobbies.

Beware of Burnout

Once you've found your passion and turned your favorite
hobby into a profitable business, you're home free, right? Not
quite. As many a hobbyist-turned-entrepreneur has experienced,
burnout tends to set in. Think about it: Once you get your
hobby-based business off the ground, you start to live and breathe
that hobby 24/7. "You're no longer doing [the hobby] for
your enjoyment," O'Berry explains. "You're doing
it for your livelihood."

Before you make the leap, you should think long and hard about
whether doing your hobby as a business will ultimately drain your
enthusiasm for it. According to Jain, you'll have to ask
yourself "If I never did this for fun ever again, how much
would I miss it? Is it replaceable by something else?"

One way to avoid burnout is to continue learning new things
about your hobby. Another is to spend your free time pursuing an
entirely different hobby. That's what entrepreneur Steve
Edmiston has done for years. In the early 1990s when he ran a law
firm, game-making and writing screenplays were two of his favorite
hobbies. When he chose to pursue game-making as a full-time
business, screenwriting naturally took over as the fun outlet.

In 2000, Edmiston sold his interest in the law firm and launched
a Seattle business that manufactured coffee table games. "I
had that desire for game creation that had nothing to do with being
a lawyer," explains Edmiston, co-founder of Front Porch
Classics Inc.

It all came together after he met a few contacts at the local
Young Entrepreneurs Organization, who also wanted to start a new
business. Edmiston, 41, then decided to join forces with Mark
Jacobsen and Mark Pattison, both 41. In 2002, their game, Old
Century Baseball, earned the Toy of the Year honor from
Disney's Family Fun Magazine.

Currently on Front Porch Classics Inc.'s agenda: marketing
Dread Pirate, a treasure hunt game that Edmiston had originally
created for his daughter's birthday a few years ago. With sales
exceeding $1 million, the hobby has certainly proved to be more
than just a game for this trio.

The Next Step

Now that you've done all your research, and you're sure
that this is the business for you, how do you get going? Most hobby
enthusiasts start their businesses part time.

But still, to project a professional business veneer, there are
a few things you should do. Get a separate business phone line, for
starters. Says Jain: "Marketing begins at the point of
contact. You don't want your child answering [the phone]."
You'll also want to set up a professional Web site and get a
dedicated fax line (or an e-fax). And make use of some
small-business Web site tools, such as those available from
bCentral.com, Entrepreneur.com and Jian.com--there, you'll find
how-tos and tips on everything from marketing your business to
making your Web site e-commerce ready.

In terms of looking more professional, the experts suggest
ditching the free e-mail services (such as Hotmail or Yahoo!) and
instead paying for an e-mail address and Web site with your
business name (such as Alice_Ent@GroovyPottery.com).

Looking professional, however, is not your only concern.
Overcoming the skepticism about your hobby product or service will
be a big part of your start-up strategy as well. Keep in mind that
although you have a vision for the product, communicating that to
investors and clients can be a challenge.

Case in point: When Angel Munoz started the Cyberathlete
Professional League, an organization for professional computer
game players, he faced skeptics from all sides, as investors and
even players doubted his vision. This Irving, Texas, entrepreneur
fought against disbelievers by remaining unwavering in his devotion
to the concept and by surrounding himself with a core group of key
people who did believe in his business idea. Because the
interactive entertainment industry is so tight-knit, "you
can't turn your back on the skeptics," he explains.
"I stayed in contact with them and [let them know] about every
milestone we accomplished."

This "show-don't-tell" mentality helped win over
those early dissenters. When the players scoffed at the idea of a
professional league, Munoz, 42, made certain to raise the
professional level of events with state-of-the-art equipment and
services. His strategy was so successful that his company and the
league have grown solely by word-of-mouth.

Though it wasn't easy in the beginning, Munoz started the
league to establish standards and rules of play--as well as make
some money from his target market, the nearly 145 million Americans
who regularly play video games, according to the Interactive
Digital Software Association. Having structured his revenue plan
around membership in the league, admission to events, sponsorship,
and TV and broadcasting rights, Munoz has grown sales into the
seven figures.

David Silberman is also a hobbyist-turned-entrepreneur who truly
understands the importance of educating your target market about
your hobby business. As the founder of Starfish Imports
Inc. in New York City, his niche is importing Murano glass.
When he started his business in May 2002, Silberman decided to
market his concept to as many people as possible--to both Murano
glass enthusiasts and the general public.

Silberman, 34, learned the art of purchasing his inventory with
a careful, objective eye. For instance, he might choose an item
that doesn't fit his personal style, but that he knows would
make an interesting offering for his customers.

That willingness to educate customers as well as learn from them
has helped Silberman grow a glass importing business based on his
love for Murano glass stemming from his childhood. Today, he
continues to glean new knowledge from customers. For instance,
although Silberman initially focused his marketing efforts on
people in urban areas, he was surprised to find orders coming in to
his Web site from places like Arkansas. "I learned there are
more customers out there than I previously thought," he says.
To further expand his customer base, Silberman is looking into
wholesaling to specialty boutiques as well as selling via his Web
site. That wide range of customers has helped Silberman grow his
business to about $120,000 a year in sales.

For More Information

Check out a few of these books and organizations to get the
heads up on your hobby business.

Hobby
Industry Association: sponsors the HIA Convention &
Trade Show, a national trade show for hobby industry businesses
held in January

ihobbyexpo.com: the official Web site for
information on the 2003 International Model and Hobby Expo, to be
held September 11-14 in Rosemont, Illinois. The site also includes
links to details of past shows.

TheHobbyPortal.com: a directory of hobby
industry Web sites with categories like antiques, arts &
crafts, cooking and so on

Long Live the Passion

Once your business is up and running, you'll have to strive
to keep your love of your hobby alive. Says Jain, "[It's
about] constantly pursuing higher knowledge to keep it fresh."
Visiting trade shows, conferring with experts and exploring new
advances in your hobby can keep that passion burning.

Sara Brook was keeping her love for cooking alive long before
the start of her Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe in 1995. A veteran
entrepreneur, Brook has built three businesses based on her hobby.
"Keep it alive so you'll stay great at what you do,"
she says. "For me, that may have [meant] taking classes,
reading or trying new desserts or finding new recipes."

With a degree in computer science, Brook, now 40, decided while
in college that baking was her love; she opened her first dessert
baking business after graduation at age 21. Six years later, she
sold it and created a chocolate sauce manufacturing company. Six
years after that, she sold that business to try her hand at an
entire bakery and opened the Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe in
Houston. "Having had two successful businesses before, I felt
like this would be the culmination of all I had learned," she
says. "I like to think it's my best effort."

Brook's efforts to freshen her concept have included adding
some peripheral items to a menu that once included only desserts.
"[Those items] were really in response to customer demand. I
certainly never dreamed in a million years that I'd have
sandwiches and wraps and salads--'real food,' as I call
it," says Brook. "It's opened a lot of doors for us
because corporate catering is a huge market." With $1 million
in sales projected for 2003, Brook's instincts have paid
off.

As these entrepreneurs have found, a passion for a hobby can
help you start a business. But ultimately, hard work and a
willingness to handle the not-so-fun aspects of running a business
are what spell success. Done right, your hobby business can provide
you with a great living--and an even greater source of joy.
"For seven years I've been running the company," says
Munoz, "and I am as enthusiastic about it today as I was the
day I started."

Not-So-Trivial Pursuits

Stumped about what kind of business your hobby might make? Check
out these hobby-type businesses--they'll either work for you as
they are, or at least get your creative juices flowing to help you
make a decision.

ANTIQUE-RADIO COLLECTING:
If you have a talent and passion for antique radios or record
players, you can restore these pieces or sell your services to
other less handy collectors.

COMPUTERS:
If you love computers and the Internet, you can sell your services
to help people set up their computers. You can even start a Web
design business.

COOKING:
Love to cook? Start a catering business. You might also specialize
in one food--custom-made cookies or cakes, for instance.

EXERCISING:
If you love to exercise, you could become a certified trainer and
sell your services to help others reach their fitness goals.